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Vaccines and Autism
Robert Kennedy Jr. claims there was a spike in autism after 1989 due to over vaccination of children.
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Parents of "autism brats" fight back
"When Michael Savage, radio talk show host, said July 16 that 99% of children with autism were "brats" who should be told to "cut the act out," one could only wonder if he somehow got his childhood "A" disease diagnoses mixed up. Maybe he was thinking of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a condition characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. ADHD affects 2 million children and can be treated with behavior modification or drugs, but for many decades, children with the disorder were considered to be just bad kids who misbehaved, and poor parenting was pointed to as the cause.
But autism? Does anyone doubt that it's a significant developmental disorder? It's characterized by poor social interaction, problems with communication -- both verbal and nonverbal -- repetitive activities and hand flapping. Those are problems a 2- or 3-year-old, the age at which the disorder is often diagnosed, would have trouble thinking up.
But when the New York Times gave Savage a chance to explain himself, he said that while his estimate that nine out of 10 kids are faking it might have been a little high, he said he was proud to have prodded a discussion. He stuck by his comments.
Meanwhile, as protesters from Autism United, a coalition of advocacy organizations, gathered today outside the New York City WOR radio studio, which employs Savage, parents such as Martin Schwartzman, whose 15-year-old son Robbie has autism, are up in arms. "I couldn't understand why someone could be so heartless and so insensitive, and also so ignorant for a national talk show host," Schwartzman said on WCBS-TV."
Autism is considered a developmental disability. These kids are not brats, nor are they incapable of learning!
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Savage on autism: "A fraud ... In 99% of cases, it's a brat ..."
On his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage claimed that autism is "[a] fraud, a racket ... I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot.' "
http://mediamatters.org/items/200807170005?f=h_top On his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage claimed that autism is "[a] fraud, a racket ... I'll tell you what autism is. ... more -
Are Environmental Factors to Blame for Autism?
Autism affects one in every 150 children born today in the U.S., a more than threefold increase from ten years ago. A variety of studies try to explain why
Dear EarthTalk: What's going on with all the cases of autism cropping up and no one seems to know why? It stands to reason it must be something (or some things) environmental, yet every study allegedly turns up no conclusion? What are the possible causes? -- Jessica W., Austin, TX
There's no doubt about it: autism rates have skyrocketed in the U.S. and beyond in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease affects one in every 150 children born today in the U.S., up from one in 500 just 10 years ago. It's become the fastest-growing developmental disability-more prevalent than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined—and it continues to grow at a rate of 10 to 17 percent per year.
While researchers think there is a genetic component to autism, they also believe environmental factors play a role in its recent increase. Environmental mercury and other heavy metal exposure, contaminated water, pesticides, a greater reliance on antibiotics—and even extensive television viewing by very young children—may be factors in mounting autism rates. Researchers at the American Academy of Pediatrics and other institutes have also identified flame retardants as possible culprits.
Vaccines containing the mercury-based preservative thimerosal (now mostly removed from the market) have long been blamed for causing autism, but scientific links are inconclusive. In lieu of a smoking gun, a more complex picture of autism's environmental causes is now emerging.
Some researchers are focusing on the role of food in a young child's development. Many autistic children suffer from digestive diseases or have genetic dispositions rendering them unable to naturally rid their bodies of toxins. As such, exposure to heavy metals, pesticides, contaminated water and even processed food could have a devastating cumulative effect, some researchers think. According to Brian MacFabe, a researcher at the University of Western Ontario who has studied autism triggers in rats, simple changes such as removing wheat and dairy from the diet could potentially bring about improvements.
Groups such as the nonprofit Healthy Child Healthy World say it's about time researchers look at environmental factors. "Whatever triggered this current autism epidemic...autistic kids clearly need extra protection from further environmental assault," the group writes on its blog. They advise parents to be vigilant about the industrial cleaners used in school buildings and the pesticides sprayed on playing fields, where kids spend 25 to 30 hours per week on average. They and other groups are also looking at the role of untested chemicals in common cleaning products: phthalates, glycol ethers and other known toxins.
Others wonder if a collective "nature deficit disorder" among children plays a factor in rising autism rates. Outdoor exposure has long been associated with healthier cognitive functioning in children, with reduction in Attention Deficit Disorder symptoms and greater emotional capacity. But new findings suggest it could impact autism, too. Last year, Cornell University researchers found higher rates of autism in counties where more households subscribed to cable and children under the age of three regularly watched TV. The Amish, with almost no exposure to TV, have little evidence of autism, notes the study. Autism affects one in every 150 children born today in the U.S., a more than threefold increase from ten years ago. A variety of studi... more -
Conservative radio host calls Autism a "racket"
Summary:
On his nationally syndicated radio show, Michael Savage claimed that autism is "[a] fraud, a racket. ... I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot.' " Summary: ... more -
Autism and Medical Marijuana
Some families have found marijuana (mmj) to be nothing short of miraculous. Some of the symptoms MMJ has ameliorated include anxiety--even severe anxiety--aggression, panic disorder, generalized rage, tantrums, property destruction and self-injurious behavior. Some families have found marijuana (mmj) to be nothing short of miraculous. Some of the symptoms MMJ has ameliorated include anxiety--... more
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Middle Eastern families yield intriguing clues to autism
Research involving large Middle Eastern families, sophisticated genetic analysis and groundbreaking neuroscience has implicated a half-dozen new genes in autism. More importantly, it strongly supports the emerging idea that autism stems from disruptions in the brain's ability to form new connections in response to experience – consistent with autism's onset during the first year of life, when many of these connections are normally made.
Interestingly, not all the affected genes were actually deleted, but only prevented from turning on – offering hope that therapies could be developed to reactivate the genes. The study, led by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and members of the Boston-based Autism Consortium, is the cover article in the July 11 issue of Science.
Autism genes have been difficult to identify because the disorder is complex, with a variety of causes stemming from many possible genes or combinations of genes. In addition, since people with autism tend not to have children, most of the genes identified thus far aren't inherited from a parent, but instead are mutated during embryonic development, making them hard to track through traditional linkage studies in families.
--click link to read full article-- Research involving large Middle Eastern families, sophisticated genetic analysis and groundbreaking neuroscience has implicated a half... more -
Mom Accused of Denying Son Medicine
This Massachusetts mom withholds cancer meds from Jeremy Fraser, her 8-year-old autistic son, after a good prognosis. Now the cancer has returned and there's nothing they can do, his likelihood to overcome dropping from 85-90% to 10%. What drives these parents to do such things, when "in all likelihood, Jeremy Fraser will not see his ninth birthday?" This Massachusetts mom withholds cancer meds from Jeremy Fraser, her 8-year-old autistic son, after a good prognosis. Now the cancer... more
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Existing Drug Reverses a Form of Mental Retardation in Mice
A drug already on the market for a completely unrelated condition could be used to treat a form of mental retardation linked to autism—if the results of a study in mice hold up, researchers report.
Scientists used rapamycin—a medication doctors prescribe to patients who have had transplants to prevent their bodies from rejecting the new organs—to treat learning disorders associated with a disease called tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) in mice. TSC is a rare genetic disorder that causes brain tumors, seizures, learning disabilities, skin lesions and kidney tumors in the 50,000 Americans and one million people worldwide who have the disease.
Half of those with TSC are autistic, and as many as one in five people with the condition also suffer from mental retardation, so the hope is that rapamycin may be used to treat learning disabilities and short-term memory deficits in all kinds of autism as well, says neurobiologist and co-author of a study in Nature Medicine, Alcino Silva of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. A drug already on the market for a completely unrelated condition could be used to treat a form of mental retardation linked to autism... more -
Autistic Boy and Mom Kicked Off Plane
There were no weapons on board or concerns about terrorism, but an American Eagle flight about to take off from the Raleigh-Durham, N.C., airport was turned back to its gate on Monday to remove two passengers.
The culprits? An upset, autistic toddler and his mother.
By all accounts, two-year-old Jarret Farrell wasn't a happy traveler. But his mother, Janice Farrell, who said she tried everything to calm her son, believes there was no reason for the airline to kick them off the plane.
The airline disagrees, saying they were removed primarily because Janice Farrell kept her carry-on bag on the floor in front of her seat, but that Jarret's behavior added to the tense situation.
"The child had been crying and screaming uncontrollably, to the point where the child's well being was in question," American Airlines, the parent company of American Eagle, said in a statement. "Though, ultimately, the parent's violation of FAA regulations was the cause for removal, both situations contributed to an uncomfortable and potentially unsafe atmosphere for our passengers and crew."
By STEPHANIE DAHLE and JONANN BRADY There were no weapons on board or concerns about terrorism, but an American Eagle flight about to take off from the Raleigh-Durham, N.... more -
CityNews: No Apology From School Board After Psychic Sex Abuse Report
She's long believed officials at the school, Terry Fox Elementary, have not taken proper care of her daughter, accusing them of losing her at least twice in the past. She knows Victoria needs more care but the IBI therapy the non-verbal child should be getting is prohibitively expensive. And Leduc is convinced this latest incident is more proof that the board should pick up the tab. She's long believed officials at the school, Terry Fox Elementary, have not taken proper care of her daughter, accusing them of losing... more
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Autism CD New to teach kids with Autism or PDD
This new CD was developed to teach children with Autism, PDD and other learning delays and difficulties.
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STOP THE WITCH HUNT
Anthony Westbury: What's really going on in that classroom?
PORT ST. LUCIE — There are so many questions I want to ask about exactly what happened in Wendy Portillo's kindergarten class between her and Alex Barton, 5.
I'm not getting many answers.
Portillo herself isn't talking. That'd be contrary to St. Lucie School District policy and, I guess, might be reason in itself for her termination.
The school district isn't saying much either, because it can't.
Barbara Slaga, assistant superintendent for exceptional student education & student services cites confidentiality concerns that prevent her from discussing any specifics in this case.
Pity, because it's the specifics we all want to hear.
What Slaga could tell me was rather generic. The process of evaluating a student with behavioral issues is long and complicated. Assessment experts from the district office tend to get called in by teachers or principals who notice unusual behaviors in class. What stage of the assessment process was Alex Barton at? Slaga couldn't tell me, but professional advisors would determine whether a child should be kept in a regular class or assigned to special education classes.
Should he have been in Wendy Portillo's class at all? We simply don't know.
Of the hundreds of online comments, both on our tcpalm.com Web site and others (including one at the Chicago Tribune), many people are demanding Portillo's head. They want her fired — or worse. Many think she should never stand in front of a class of students again.
They might be right, but I'm not willing to bury the lady until I've heard the other side.
I did take a look at Portillo's personnel file. It revealed absolutely nothing out of order.
On the contrary, many of her annual evaluations refer to "an awesome teacher," "exemplary" and other superlatives.
It was more than a decade ago (1996), but I was struck by her "superior" scores (the highest possible) in "effectively manages student conduct," and "demonstrates appropriate student-teacher interaction."
Has Portillo turned into a monster since 1996? I doubt it.
Along with the online comments about Portillo's future, I've received a few from teachers (or their spouses). Perhaps not surprisingly, these were a lot more sympathetic to Portillo than the rest.
Judith Fleming, a former high school teacher with 30 years (23 of them in St. Lucie County) under her belt, said, "I can't tell you how many classes were ruined by the actions of one or two students. Everyone keeps writing about that child, who according to articles spent many hours in the principal's office for inappropriate behavior, but no one is writing about how the learning of other students was affected by this child."
She suggests Alex should be assigned to a special class "with others like him until he can learn to function in a mainstream class. All too often the interests of 'special education' students outweigh those of every other student."
Many online readers, on the other hand, are appalled at the very thought of putting kids like Alex in special classes. It's the teacher who's at fault here, they say.
I don't know the answers to any of these questions, and (I suspect) nor do you. Perhaps we should put this witch hunt on hold until we do.
Anthony Westbury: What's really going on in that classroom? ... more -
Mentally handicapped child voted out of class by fellow classmates, kindergartener...
Melissa Barton says Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo had her son's classmates say what they didn't like about 5-year-old Alex. She says the teacher then had the students vote, and voted Alex, who is being evaluated for Asperger's syndrome -- an autism spectrum disorder -- out of the class by a 14-2 margin... Melissa Barton says Morningside Elementary teacher Wendy Portillo had her son's classmates say what they didn't like about 5-year-old ... more
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LOCAL EDITOR SPEAKS ON TEACHERS BEHALF AFTER SHE HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF VOTING STUDEN...
I'd been out of town for a few days over the holiday weekend, so I was catching up on the sun-bleached newspapers that had been littering my front yard.
A name suddenly caught my eye: Wendy Portillo of Morningside Elementary School in Port St. Lucie.
The name — and the reason for the story that mentioned her — made me catch my breath.
Portillo is accused of allowing her kindergarten class at Morningside to "vote out" a 5-year-old fellow student who apparently has a history of behavior problems in the classroom. The student, David Barton, is undergoing diagnosis for possible autism, which makes what happened in Portillo' s classroom even more difficult to understand.
The original story attracted more than 300 comments online. Many expressed outrage, some were downright unpleasant. There were calls for her firing, even for the child's parents to sue her individually.
The reason my heart skipped a beat was that I know Wendy Portillo and I simply cannot connect the lady I met with the person I read about in the paper.
I've spoken to Portillo several times on the phone and met her in person about three weeks ago. I was put in touch with her by a fellow teacher at Morningside.
After winning the state championships against schools from as far afield as Key West, Portillo and her team of third- through fifth-grade students have been invited to the world championships of Odyssey of the Mind at the end of this week at the University of Maryland.
Odyssey of the Mind is an almost 30-year-old organization that sets up academic problem-solving competitions for students from kindergarten through college level all over America and in 28 or so other countries around the world. The Morningside kids and their coach Portillo deserved some press coverage, the teacher told me.
The Morningside students had to create a humorous stage performance that explains the evolutionary demise of the dinosaurs in a grand total of eight minutes or less. The kids have to write the script, build the props and create the costumes. They've been working on "DinoStories" since last October, meeting several times a week. As Portillo told me, "there's a lot of sacrifice involved" and team members have to be extremely dedicated.
I meet a lot of people in my job and like to think I'm a fairly good judge of character. I like to think I can smell a rat a mile away.
Wendy Portillo gave not a whiff of anything amiss.
On the contrary, she seems a loving, caring person who genuinely wants only the best for her students. She certainly gave me the impression she's the sort of kindergarten teacher you'd remember with affection later in life.
And yet, here she finds herself in crisis, removed from her classroom. Reportedly, she admitted to holding the classroom vote, but now school board protocol prevents her from airing her side of the story. The Port St. Lucie Police Department and State Attorney's Office have both declined to press charges of child abuse.
There's obviously another side to this story and maybe one day we'll hear it. In the meantime, I'm suspending judgment. I think after teaching our kids for 12 years in St. Lucie County — nine of them at Morningside to some pretty lofty levels — we owe her that.
I'd been out of town for a few days over the holiday weekend, so I was catching up on the sun-bleached newspapers that had been litter... more -
Teacher forces 'the only friend the five-year-old boy has ever made' to denounce h...
Melissa Barton said she is considering legal action after her son's kindergarten teacher led his classmates to vote him out of class.
"After each classmate was allowed to say what they didn't like about Barton's 5-year-old son, Alex, his Morningside Elementary teacher said they were going to take a vote, Barton said.
"By a 14 to 2 margin, the class voted him out of the class.
"Barton said her son is in the process of being diagnosed with Aspberger's, a type of high-functioning autism...
"Alex has had disciplinary issues because of his disabilities, Barton said. The school and district has met with Barton and her son to create an individual education plan, she said. His teacher, Wendy Portillo, has attended these meetings, she said.
"Barton said after the vote, Alex's teacher asked him how he felt.
"He said, 'I feel sad,' she said.
"Alex left the classroom and spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office, she said...
"Alex hasn't been back to school since then, and Barton said he won't be returning. He starts screaming when she brings him with her to drop off his sibling at school.
"Barton said Alex is reliving the incident.
"They said he was 'disgusting' and 'annoying,' Barton said.
"'He was incredibly upset,' Barton said. 'The only friend he has ever made in his life was forced to do this.'"
As a former teacher, I certainly know the challenges that teachers often face, and I also realize how incidents which seem innocent and humorous in the classroom can sound ominous or harmful when relayed second or third or fourth hand to administrators or parents. That being said, if this news article is accurate, there's no defense of what Wendy Portillo did in humiliating this little boy (pictured). Melissa Barton said she is considering legal action after her son's kindergarten teacher led his classmates to vote him out of class. ... more -
Priest Bans Autistic Boy From Church
Mom Told She'd Be Sent to Jail if She Brought Autistic Son to Church.
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Vaccines could cause autism.
Leading scientist says that it could be the vaccines that cause autism.
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Laffoley's Odyssey
Paul Laffoley is an inspirational artist and a visionary. With big ideas about how to change the planet, perhaps some of his ideas will not be taken seriously unill many years to come. He presents himself as a hermit, someone who spends hours locked away, yet his talks are full of excitement and potential, bursting with possibility. I cling to his everyword, a man who makes all things seem possible. Portals, wormholes and even time travel never seem far away when dealing with Paul Laffoley. Paul Laffoley is an inspirational artist and a visionary. With big ideas about how to change the planet, perhaps some of his ideas wil... more
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How The Government Ignores Autism Funding
Even with clear evidence of vaccinations causing Autism in America, most state governemnts are not allowing the proper legislation pass to relieve families that have Autism. From Missouri to New Jersey, many families are clawing in a grassroots effort to have their voices heard and to see a slight ease to real financial pains. With 1 in 150 children diagnosed in the Autism spectrum, and numbers rising, will legislators begin helping families in need? Even with clear evidence of vaccinations causing Autism in America, most state governemnts are not allowing the proper legislation pas... more
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